Keyless automobile-clock.



J. R. PUTNAM. KEYLESS AUTOMOBILE CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9, 1912. r 1,034,738. Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. R. PUTNAM.

KEYLESS AUTOMOBILE CLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9,1912.

1,034,733, Patented Aug 6, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

lllllllllllllllllllllllllIIIlllllllllllllllllllll\ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.)

JAMES R. PUTNAM, OF WATER/BURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO WATERBURY CLOCK (10., OF WATERIBURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

KEYLESS AUTOMOBILE-CLOCK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES R. PUTNAM, a

citizen of the ,llnited States, residing at \Vaterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Keyless Automobile-Clocks; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of thisspecification and, represent, in

Figure 1 a view in front elevation of a keyless automobile clock constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 a View thereof in vertical central section on an enlarged scale, the time-movement being shown in elevation with the time-train omitted. Fig. 3 a view of the clock in front elevation on the scale of Fig. 2, with the bezel, dial-mat, dial and dial-back removed. for the purpose of showing the annular winding-and-setting gear in its relation to the. winding-and-setting wheel mounted upon the time-movement. Fig. 4a detail view with a portion of the front movementplate removed to show the oscillating winding-and-setting yoke which is here repre-. sented in its winding position. Fig. 5 a corresponding view with the yoke in its setting position. Fig. 6 a broken reverse plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 4.

My invention relates to an improvement in keyless automobile clocks, the object being to produce a simple, compact, reliable, and dust-proof time-piece constructed with particular reference to being conveniently wound and set by the rotation in one direction or the other of the bezel of the case.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in a keyless automobile clock having certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.-

In carrying out my invention as herein shown, the bezel2 is provided with a rearwardly extending flange 3 internally threaded for being screwed upon an externally threaded flange 1 projecting forwardly from a rotatable annular winding-and-setting gear 5 substantially corresponding to the bezel in diameter and having internal teeth 8 permanently meshed into a winding-and- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 9, 1912.

case.

Serial No. 670,173.

setting wheel 7 located in-front of the front movement-plate 8 andmounted upon the projecting forward end of an arbor 9 jour naled at its forward end in the said plate and at its rear end in an intermediate movement-plate 10. Under the construction described, the bezel 2 andannular windingand-setting gear 5 rotate in either direction as one piece. The ends of the teeth 6 of the windingand-setting gear 5 ride upon the periphery of'an annular bearing-flange 11 projecting forward from a bearing ring 12 soldered or otherwise permanently fixed in the forward end of the cylindrical sheet-metal case 13 the rear edge of which is cut away. on an incline and permanently secured to a heavy back 14 adapted to be secured to the dashboard of an automobile, whereby the clock when in position, will, on account of the cutting away of the rear edge of the case 13 on an incline, face upward so that it may be readily seen when looked down upon from above. The said gear 5 is formed upon its rear edge with an annular rib 15 entering an annular groove 16 formed in the forward face of the stationary bearing-ring 12 and containing a packing washer 17 for the exclusion of dust from the interior of the As shown, the gear is retained in place with its teeth 6 upon the bearing flange 11, by means of a dial-back 18 secured by screws 19 to the bearing-ring 12 afore- Patented Aug. 6,1912.

said. A dial 20 of any approved constructhe annular gear 5 in place upon the bearing-flange 11, the dial-back 18 is also utilized for supporting the entire time-movement in posit-ion within the case 13. For

plate 8 three counter-bored and threaded .this purpose I rivet in the front movemntstuds 23 receiving screws 24 passed from front to rear through the dial-back 18. The middle movement-plate 10 and the rear movement-plate 25, are supported from the front movement-plate 8 in the usual manner by ordinary sectional pillars 26 onlyone of which is shown. i

It will thus be seen that under my improved construction, the dial back 18 discharges the threefold function of supporting the time-movement within the case, of

retaining the rotatable annular winding and-setting gear 5 in place upon the bearing-fiange l1, and of carrying the dial 20.

As the teeth 6 of the gear 5 are always in 30 mounted upon the arbor of the mainsprin by means of a spring 31 fastened to the inner face of the front movement-plate and engaging with the forwardly projecting end of the arbor 32 of the pinion 29. The opposite end of the said arbor enters a notch 33 in the plate 10, and by engaging with the bottom of the said notch limits the rocking of the yoke 28 in one direction,

The said winding pinon' 29 is constantly in mesh with a winding-and-setting pinion 34 formed integral with the arbor 9 and thereby concentric with the center'upon which the yoke 28 oscillates and partaking of every ing-and-setting wheel 7.

movement in either direction of the wind- At its opposite end, the yoke 28 carries a setting pinion 35 permanently meshed into by a pinion 34;, and having alargehub 36 on which is formed a secondary setting pinion 37 having a greater number of teeth than the setting pinion 35, the teeth .of which mustbe ofv coarse pitch in order to mesh into the teeth of the pinion 3fl vhich must have teeth of coarse pitchffor do action with the teeth of the winding-pinion 29, it being necessary that the pinions 34a and 29 shall-be large enough and strong enough to answer for winding the main spring. The secondary feet-ting 'pinion37 isnormally demeshed from a sup-" plemental setting-pinion 38 mounted upon a supplemental stafi' 39 the ends of which are respectively journaled in the front and middle movement-plates 8 and-10. At its forward end the 'sta'if 39 carries a pinion i0 constantly meshing into an intermediate reversing pinion 41 which meshe's'into an ordinary minute wheel 42 carrying a minute pinion 43 driving the hour wheel 4A.

Normally the yoke 28 is maintained in itt winding position as shown in Figs. 4 and 6,

9 it from its win ding to its setting by means of the spring 31referred to. iFor the purpose of oscillating the yoke to shift-- osition, it is furnished at one end with a nger 45 arranged inposition to be engaged by the inner end of a spring-actuated plunger 46 furnished at its outer end witha'push-button 47 mounted in a bushing 48 soldered or otherwise secured to the case 13 and containing a spring-chamber 49 which receivesa helical sprlng 50 encircling the said plunger 46 and normally holding the same in its retracted position. The outer endof the spring 50 impinges against the inner face of the button 4? while its inner end engages with a washer 51 resting upon a packing 52 located in the bottom of the sprin chamber 49 which is at its bottom concave in form so that the tendency of the spring 50 is constantly to crowd the packing into the bottom of the said chamber and around the plunger 46..

Under the construction above descrihed the main-spring of the clock will he wound when the bezel 2 is turned from left to right. 0n the other hand, when the bezel 2 is turned from right to left, the winding mechanism will ratchet back as the saying is, owing to the fact that the yoke is free to oscillate against the tnesion of the spring 31 as the teeth of the pinions in mesh ride over each other. c When, however, it is desired to set the clock, the push-button i? is pushed inward, whereby the yoke 28 is shifted from its winding position, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, to its setting position as shown in Fig. 5. The inward pressure upon the push-button 14: being sustained, the hour and minute hands are set by the rotation ofthe bezel in either direction as nece'ssary. The moment pressure is removed from the push-button 47, the spring 31 asserts itself to swing the yoke back into its winding position, the spring 50 returning the push-button to its normal position.

I claim 1. In a keyless clock, the combination with the case thereof, of a bearing-ring mounted upon the forward end of the said 0 se, a dial back supported by the said he rin ring, a time-movement supported by the said dial-back, extending rearwardly therefrom .into the said case, and provided WlthzWlIlding and setting devices, an annular gear bearing upon the said bearing-ring, retained in lace by the said dial-back and co-acting wit the said winding-and-setting devices of the time-movement, a bezel carried by the said gear, and a-dial carried by the said dialback, whereby the saidbearing-ring is. employed to support the said dial-back and the said annular gear, and whereby the said dial-back is employed to support the timemovement.-

2. In a keyless clock, the combination with the case thereof, of a bearing-rin mounted upon the forward end of the s'ai case and provided with a forwardly projectingbearing-flange, a dial-back supported by the said bearing-ring, a time-movement supported by the said dial-back, extending rearwardly therefrom into the said case and provided with winding-and-setting devices, an annular gear the teeth of which ride upon the said bearing-flange and which co-act with the said winding-and-sett-ing devices, a bezel carried by the said annular gear, and a dial carried by the said dial-back.

3. In a keyless clock, the combination with the case thereof, of a bearing-ring mounted upon the forward end thereof and formed with a groove for the reception of packing,-

a dial-back supported by the said bearingring, a time-movement supported by the said diaLback, extending rearwardly therefrom into the said case and provided with winding-and-setting devices, an annular gear bearing upon the said bearing-ring, formed with an annular rib entering the said groove and co-acting with the said winding-and-setting devices, abezel carried by the said annular gear, and a dial carried by the dialback.

4. In a keyless clock, the combination with the case thereof, of a time-movement pro-' vided with dial-work, a winding-and-setting pinion, a movable setting pinion in permanent mesh with the said winding-and-setting pinion and carryinga concentric inion of finer pitch than the same, an annu ar winding-and-setting gear permanently connected the case thereof, of a bearing-ring mounted u on the forward end of the said case, a dial-back supported by the said bearingring, a time-movement connected to the said dialback, extending rearwardly therefrom into the said case and provided with winding-and-setting devices, an annular gear bearing upon the said bearing-ring and coacting wit-h the said winding-and-setting devices, a bezel carried by the said bearingring, a dial carried by the said dial-back, and manually operable means'mounted in the clock-case for o erating the said wind ing-and-setting devices to throw them into. and out of operative relation with the said annular ear. y

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES R. PUTNAM. Witnesses:

C. W. SHADER, C. I. Games. 

